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kingdom "
"The male half, dear," old Lady Hornsryl Wavegallant observed
meaningfully then tittered.
Lady Monthor waited for the ripple of catty mirth to die, and then resumed her
verbal onslaught right where she'd left off. " While some unknown little hussy of
an outlander runs the War Wizards, and Obarskyrs trammel the rights of nobles
here, there, and everywhere! Gods above look down, could they do worse?'
"Well," Lady Thornra Bracegauntlet said gently, "my sympathies lie with Filfaeril.
A true Queen, of dignity and breeding, watching in silence all those years whilst
Azoun bedded everyone who didn't flee in her skirts the moment his pennants were
seen atop a distant hill "
"Ah, yes," Lady Monthor sighed, looking at the ceiling in fond reverie and almost
spilling her goblet.
But for the briefest of exasperated sighs, Lady Bracegauntlet ignored the
interjection, and swept on. " then watching her own daughter tear the codpiece off
any young man to take her fancy, while the other daughter goes all foolish over a bad
noble and goes and dies bearing his child and how are all the rest of us to know it's
legitimate and deserves to someday wear a crown? and "
"Years must pass before that little brat gets measured for any crowns," Lady
Ravensgar said darkly. "There's many a royal get that's been fitted for his coffin
before his coronet!"
"Oh, stop hinting, Honthreena!" Lady Wavegallant said firmly. "If you've started
or joined one of these little conspiracies, tell us! We want to hear all about it! As for
Filfaeril, I hear she's doing quite well in the bedchamber herself these days with that
old stuffy fool of a sage, Alaphondar!"
The Lady Joysil Ambrur had said little and continued to do so. She smiled over
her favorite tallglass, watched her wine and cakes disappear with frightening rapidity,
and deftly tugged out the choicest gossip. The nine noble ladies of Cormyr who'd
been lucky enough to receive an invitation to this highsun-sup cooperated with
enthusiasm for they were only too eager to demonstrate how in the know they
were. Little hard truth about conspiracies emerged, but Caladnei the Mage Royal, the
Steel Regent, and the Dowager Queen Filfaeril and her antics with Alaphondar all
came in for some colorful conversation.
After all, she thought with a smile aside from occasional uncomfortable duties in
the bedchamber regarding the provision of family heirs, and spending as much
money on fripperies as possible, of course that is what noble ladies are for.
* * * * *
Rauthur turned suddenly. "What was that?"
"My . . . diversion," the Red Wizard murmured. "Merely a few bewildered
blunderers encountering the helmed horrors to snare the attention of your fellow War
Wizards just in case some of them are in the habit of spying on Vangerdahast."
Huldyl Rauthur mopped his pale face, sighed, and whispered, "Right. I see. Well,
here we are. This is one of the 'back ways in' to Old Thun er, Vangerdahast's
sanctum."
"Old Thunderspells? I've heard that term before," Starangh murmured. "Are we
likely to encounter alarm spells, or guardians?"
"No, no, we're inside all that. Vangey can't do spellwork if his own castings keep
setting off alarms and spell-backlashes. We just have to keep fairly quiet, because he
has a guest."
"Who might that be?"
"I don't know, but he's talking to someone who's right here to move things for
him, not someone at the other end of a farscrying spell or crystal." The War Wizard
led the way cautiously along a dimly lit passage that smelled of damp earth. The tiles
were damp underfoot, and the rough-block stone walls were pierced at intervals by
closed doors. "Pantries and such oh, there is one thing we have to watch out for!"
"Rauthur," the wizard called Darkspells said silkily, laying a hand on the War
Wizard's shoulder, "I don't like surprises. You should know that by now."
"Uh, ah, yes, Lord! I-I-merely mean I forgot to mention something! Uh, tha-that
Vangerdahast conjures pairs of floating eyes and flying hands that he uses as [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]